Oct 11, 2024, 11:48 AM ET
Uruguay Football Federation president Ignacio Alonso pledged his full support to Marcelo Bielsa despite confirming the declarations made by Luis Suárez over the problematic working conditions imposed by the head coach.
On Oct. 3, Suárez spoke publicly about the grim impact Bielsa’s leadership had on the team during the 2024 Copa América by detailing the lack of communication between the coaching staff and players.
He admitted to feeling hurt over the manager’s actions, before urging fans not to turn on the players if “something goes wrong” moving forward.
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Alonso confirmed the accusations made by Suárez of Bielsa, revealing the forward spoke to him and Jorge Giordano, the director of national teams, before addressing the point on television.
“Correct, what Luis said is true, he has told me things, and Jorge [Giordano] as well,” Alonso told the “De fútbol se habla así” show on DirecTV. “But I don’t want to comment on Luis’s interview and I don’t want to give details of situations that must be handled behind closed doors.”
Federico Valverde and Agustín Canobbio also validated Suárez’s statement when asked.
Still, Alonso insists the matter should continue to be dealt with internally to preserve the image of the Uruguay national team.
Luis Suárez retired from international duty this past September. AP
“When it comes to internal affairs management, it is to always treat them as insiders and that was managed very well,” said Alonso.
“You must always collaborate by maintaining the reserve. I saw Bielsa working as always, he is a coach very aware of the things he has in hand, hardworking like few others, meticulous, he is on top of all the details and did not have any alterations.”
Despite the ongoing issues, Alonso maintains that is the right person to lead La Celeste to the 2026 World Cup.
“There is a transition from one era to another, with a generation that enters with an incredible legacy and we bet that Marcelo [Bielsa], as a football leader, could be the ideal figure for our team,” said Alonso. “We are doing well, the team has shown interesting things.
“Uruguay has the hope of reaching 2026 with an optimal football commitment.”
Uruguay currently sit in third place of the CONMEBOL World Cup qualifier standings with 15 in eight games, four points behind leaders Argentina. La Celeste face Peru on Friday night at Estadio Nacional de Lima, before hosting Ecuador in Montevideo, Uruguay.
The top six teams will qualify directly to the World Cup, while seventh place is forced to participate in an interconfederation playoff match for the chance to secure a ticket to the competition.
